Diving into the challenge
by ShellyStark
Summary: The amount of pain she goes through is worth it at the end of the day. The building of a relationship using the pepperony100 prompts. Starts with IM1 and things get a little bit changed from there.
1. Gravity

**So since I'm still new at this I decided to give the Pepperony100 challenge a whirl. First up #86 Engine grease**

**Much love to all my wonderful followers, you make my day, and inspire me to keep on going.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a darn thing, except for a badass Tony Stark figure.**

**Gravity**

Pepper sighed in relief as she stepped into her apartment, leaning her head back against the solid door. Tony was finally on his way to Afghanistan, and the next few days were hers for the taking. Sure she still had work to do, but with Tony out of her hair things would go smoothly. It wasn't that she didn't care for him, she did, he was all she had, but the fact of the matter was he drove her crazy.

Pepper slipped out of her blazer and tossed it over a chair in the bedroom.

"What the hell?" She noticed a small black smudge on the bottom of her otherwise very clean white button down. She gingerly ran her fingers over the stain, noticing it still had a slight slickness to it. Shedding the blouse quickly she brought it to her nose, the familiar smell making her cheeks flush with anger. Engine grease, he was in a whole other country and still able to push her buttons.

"Oh my god, I'm going to kill him!" Then she noticed yet another smudge halfway down her skirt.

"Defiantly going to kill him." How the hell did it even get there, she must have leaned up against something while she was down in the workshop, shooing him out the door. She changed quickly and set off for the cleaners. Maybe if she got there quick enough they could perform a small miracle. It didn't matter, when she got her clothes back she could still see the faint stain at the bottom of her shirt.

It had been two days, Tony hadn't called to make sure things were going ok, but that didn't surprise her, she knew he trusted her to get things done. She was surprised at how much she was able to get done on her own, and as annoying as he could be, every now and then she would find herself lonely. She secretly wished he would call, but knew he wouldn't, why would he.

At three in the morning, on the third day, the phone did ring. Only one person would call her at three in the morning, and although she was annoyed as the sharp trilling pierced her ears, she smiled when she answered.

"Well well Mr. Stark, I thought you had forgotten all about me."

"Pepper, I'm sorry to call so early." It wasn't Tony, it was Rhodey. Something was wrong, his tone of voice was quiet and apologetic.

"Rhodey? Rhodey what's wrong, where is Tony?"

"Something happened Pepper, we lost him."

"YOU DID WHAT!" Her heart was pounding, her body trembling, fighting back tears in her eyes.

"We were ambushed, they took him, god Pepper, I'm so sorry. We are still looking, I know he is out there somewhere." She was silent on the line. "Pepper?….Pepper are you there?" Tears were making their way down her face and soaking into her feather pillow. She took a deep breath and tried to be brave.

"You bring him back Rhodey, please, just find him and bring him back home."

"I'll do my best." She hung up the phone before she shoved it off the night stand, taking her alarm clock and lamp with it. She never went back to sleep, she just sat in bed with her arms around her knees, wishing he would come home.

A week after she had gotten the call from Rhodey, she found herself back at the mansion.

"Good morning Ms. Potts." She was annoyed that the voice could sound so calm, like nothing was wrong.

"Morning Jarvis." She mumbled.

"I am sorry to inform you that Mr. Stark has been reported…." She didn't want to hear anymore.

"Mute." She went from room to room, searching for something she wouldn't find. She did however find remnants of what had been lost, they were everywhere. On the arm of the couch, embedded in the carpet, trailing along the walls of the workshop stairwell. Engine grease, small black smudges he left behind wherever he roamed. With each one she found her heart would ache even more. Funny, how those messy god awful black smudges that she hated was now something she would hate to live without. The marks led her to his bedroom, the door shut, black fingerprints on the knob. Closing her eyes, she opened the door. Everything was as he left it, like nothing had even happened, like he was still there. A shirt was tossed on the bed, the one he had been wearing while she was trying to get him to leave. Her hand lightly ran over the fabric before she picked it up and held it to her chest. She collapsed on the bed, sobbing deeply into the stained shirt that still held the scent that one could only describe as truly Tony.

"Come home Tony, I need you." She whispered to herself, still clinging to the shirt he had left behind. She found herself sleeping there, in the comfort of his bed, it gave her a small amount of hope, and she needed all the hope she could get.

It had been two months now, she didn't cry as much as she had in the beginning, but she still ached for him to return.

"Things aren't looking too good Pepper, I think we should stop looking." Obadiah was standing in her office, looking out the window, no emotion showed on his face.

"NO!"

"Pepper, I know Tony is important to you but…"

"But nothing, I can't believe you would just give up like that!" She walked over to him causing him to face her. "You are the closest thing to a father that he has and you're just going to quit!" She stood her ground and was staring into his cold eyes.

He sighed.

"Your right, we shouldn't give up." He stepped around her leaving alone once more.

On the third month the phone rang in the middle of the night once more. She fumbled with his things on the nightstand trying to get to her phone.

"Hello."

"Pepper! We got him Pepper, he's a little banged up, but we found him." Rhodey was babbling with excitement into her ear. For the thousandth time in three months she cried, and for the first time in three months she smiled.

"Thank you Rhodey, thank you so much."

She was there when he stepped off the plane, arm in a sling, but otherwise he looked like himself. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she couldn't stop smiling as he came up to her.

"Your eyes are red. Tears of joy for your long lost boss?" Of course that would be the first thing he said to her, anything else wouldn't have been Tony.

"Tears of joy, I hate job hunting."

"Yeah well, vacations over."

Every now and then she would come across the stained shirt hanging in her closet. She would let her fingers linger on the small grey smudge that remained. Each time it would bring a smile to her face. The thought of engine grease now warmed her heart, and she couldn't get enough of it.

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!**

**-Shelly  
**


	2. Stay

**Special shout out to XxThe Penny TreasurexX, I'm really glad you loved it, I love it too! **

**This is for 83 Home, read away my pretties! **

**For some reason I enjoy making people cry XD**

Stay

It had been a week since he was brought home from Afghanistan, and a week that Pepper had been sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms. She said it was because of all the extra work involving his statements from the press conference, he wondered if this was true, or if she was just watching out for him. Either way he was glad, he liked having her around, and he was tired of feeling like he was alone.

He had her change out the arc reactor a few days ago, he probably could have done it himself, but the thought of her hands inside him excited him. It didn't quite go as he had planned, hell she sent him into cardiac arrest, when she placed her hand on his shoulder and said to him "I'm going to make this ok." he wasn't expecting the fluttering in his stomach. Through all the pain and suffering he had gone through, she had been the one that kept him motivated to keep going.

He couldn't sleep, and had been working on the flight stabilizers since 2:30 in the morning. Six hours later he was interrupted by his music shutting off, and the clicking of her heels coming up behind him.

"Can you please not turn off my music every time you come down here?" He wiped his hands on his shirt and turned to look at her.

"Is there a reason you're fattening me up Potts?" He grinned. She had brought him down a full breakfast of eggs, bacon hash browns and toast, and a heavenly cup of coffee. She smiled softly as she set the food down on his desk.

"You need to eat Tony, you look like you could use some sleep too." She sighed and turned to leave.

"Is everything ok Pepper?" He could see the worry in her eyes, he wanted to hold her and tell her everything would turn out ok, that he was home now, and he was glad she was with him.

But he didn't want to scare her away.

"It's…..yea, everything's alright."

He raised a single brow and took a long draw of his coffee.

"Will that be all Ms. Potts?" He asked, turning his attention to his hash browns.

"That will be all Mr. Stark."

He heard the clicking of her shoes fade, and his music came back on as soon as she sealed the door. Not even a minute later it abruptly shut back off, and he stood up to see Pepper rushing back in the workshop towards him. He didn't expect her to throw her arms around his middle and bury her face in his chest.

"No Tony, that won't be all. It killed me inside when Rhodey called me, each day I would ask you to come home, which is stupid it's not like you could hear me. I missed you, you don't know how bad I wanted to run to you when you stepped out of that plane." He smiled and gently rubbed her back.

"I did hear you, everyday, when I was told I was a man who had everything but nothing, I realized that was wrong, I had you, and seeing you was worth coming home to. There was nothing more I wanted to do than hold you when I got back…" He stopped for a moment and sighed. "I figured that wouldn't be very professional" He chuckled, and placed a light kiss to her head.

"I'm home now Pepper and I'm glad you're here."

She pulled away and he wiped away the stray tears from her glossy blue eyes.

"Me too." She straightened out her skirt and took a deep breath.

"Will that be all Mr. Stark?" She beamed at him.

"That will be all Ms. Potts." He laughed. "For now."


	3. Melodic

**Pepperony100 theme 92 sound. Thanks for the peeps who added my stories to their alerts, and for the beautiful reviews.**

**Melodic**

Pepper couldn't sleep.

She couldn't sleep because she was way too busy worrying that Tony wasn't sleeping. Since he came home he hadn't been sleeping very much, and when he did it was either on the living room couch, or in the workshop. As she lied in bed in the guest bedroom, staring at the ceiling, she heard soft music coming from down stairs.

"Where the hell is that coming from?" She murmured. It defiantly wasn't Tony's usual choice of music, it was soft, delicate, and sweet, similar to a lullaby. Curiosity got the best of her. Tossing back the covers she tiptoed down the stairs.

The room was dark, with the exception of the soft blue glow hovering over the piano.

Tony was seated at the bench, eyes closed and face full of warmth. Pepper watched in awe as his hands magically danced over the keys. In all the years she had known him, she never knew he could play the piano, and he played so beautifully.

A small smile formed on his serene face, and he let out a sigh.

"Mom used to play that for me…it would help me fall asleep." He spoke softly, turning on the bench to face her. Pepper felt a pang of guilt, intruding on what seemed like a personal moment for him. He motioned with his head for her to come closer and patted the space next to him on the bench. Reluctantly she sat down, and they shared an awkward silence, glancing at each other every now and again.

"I'm Sorry Tony, I shouldn't have interrupted you." She said quietly, breaking their silence.

"I pay you to interrupt me Potts." He smirked.

"Not like this, this is a little personal." She whispered.

"Pepper…" He took her small hand into his, and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "You don't have to be sorry, ever….you're the only person I get to share these little moments with."

She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. This was her Tony, the one nobody else ever got to see. Yes he had a super ego, flaunting it everywhere he goes, but Pepper liked this side of Tony the most.

He took her other hand and raised them up in front of his chest, his fingers now trailing over her fingers.

"Your hands are perfect for the piano." He said softly before bringing them to his lips, kissing them softly. Her eyes popped open wide, as her cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink. Tony jumped at her reaction.

"Sorry…I ….umm…"

Biting her bottom lip, she started to laugh. Tony cocked his head and looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"It's alright Tony, you just surprised me that's all."

"Well you know me, full of surprises." He grinned.

"You know, sometimes it's nice to be surprised." She said quietly, smiling at him with both her face as well as her eyes.

Slowly he began to let his fingers run up her arm, sending chills down her spine. She watched as his chocolate eyes began to darken as he pushed the stray hair behind her ear. She slid closer to him, letting her hands rest on his chest.

His breath hitched, as she touched his skin. He leaned in slowly letting his eyes close. He was so close to her now, his mouth only inches from hers. His head dropped suddenly onto her shoulder, and his arms went limp.

She held onto his body, and giggled as his breathing slipped into a steady rhythm.

"Come on Tony, you need to get to the couch." She patted his back, causing him to wake up a little.

"Kay."

He was a little wobbly when he stood, she did her best to use her body to steady him. She managed to get him on the couch, even if he was practically falling on top of her. She went and got a blanket to drape over his sleeping form. She smiled as she pushed the hair from his eyes.

"Oh Tony, what am I going to do to do with you?" She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

Pepper grinned as she waked past the piano and up to the guest room. Maybe someday she would ask him for lessons.

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Shelly**


	4. Managing

**Pepperony100 challenge #45 sleep**

**Managing**

Pepper had been out when Tony took the Mark II out for its first flight, and she was glad that she was. Coming back to gaping holes through the house, not to mention a destroyed piano was something she did not want to have witnessed. It was quiet, too quiet.

"Jarvis, where is Mr. Stark?"

"Mr. Stark is currently in the workshop Ms. Potts."

"Thank you Jarvis."

Tony was fast asleep leaning over his desk when Pepper entered the workshop.

"Tony…Tony….." She cooed softly, lightly shaking his shoulder. He groaned a bit, and batted her hand away, but didn't wake up. She was poking him now, with a little force, over and over again.

"You could be a little gentler Potts." He mumbled, lifting his head out of his arms. His big chocolate brown eyes were still full of sleep, and his hair adorably messy. She laughed.

"What?"

Pepper pulled a post it note from off the top of his head, her post it note, and handed it to him.

"Oh yea….thanks, I may end up being a bit nostalgic after all." He yawned and ran his hands through his shaggy hair.

"You should get some real sleep Tony, in a bed perhaps, this hour or two every now and then isn't good for you." She really was concerned, the bags under his eyes were more visible with each passing day.

"I manage." He was defensive, avoiding her eyes.

"Manage…you…..manage? This" she motioned to the desk "this is not managing!"

"What do you want me to do Pepper? Drop everything and just go to bed?"

"Yes!" Her eyes wandered to the pile of rubble that somewhat resembled a car, and the holes in the ceiling above it. "I'll call and have someone come out and repair your damage." She sighed and turned to leave.

"And a Piano" She heard him mummer quietly.

"Yes, if you'd like."

"I would thank you…..and I'll work on the sleep thing." He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Good." She smiled to herself as she went off to bed.

Jarvis pulled her out of her sleep at three o'clock in the morning.

"Ms. Potts? Mr. Stark's heart rate has elevated and he appears to be in a state of discomfort."

"What?" She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"I believe he could use your assistance Ms. Potts."

She let out a breath of air, and began down the stairs.

"Mr. Stark is currently in his bedroom Ms. Potts."

"Really?" She was glad he was finally getting some sleep, but what did he need her for.

Opening the door she was shocked to see Tony trashing around on the bed.

"No….Yinsen…..Pepper…Jericho…Pepper." There was pain etched in his face, she hurried to his bedside.

"Tony…Tony you need to wake up." She tried but he kept on murmuring and trashing.

"Tony…." She grabbed his wrist, out of reflex he clamped down oh her arm with his free hand, eyes popping open.

"Pepper!" He was breathing heavy, his hand still tight on her arm, he noticed her wincing and quickly let go.

"Oh Pepper." He whispered, tracing the red mark on her forearm. "I'm so sorry."

"Tony I'm fine, don't worry about it. Are you alright?" He settled back leaning his head against the headboard.

"Yea….bad dream, I knew they would come soon or a later, once I had time to really sleep." She realized he had been avoiding sleep for a reason.

"I'm sorry Tony, I shouldn't have pushed you."

"No, you were right, I do need to get some sleep, I just don't want to relive any of that again." He looked so vulnerable.

"Just let me know if you need anything ok? Even if it's just to keep you company." She patted his hand and started to leave.

"Wait….I understand if you say no but….do you think you can stay with me, at least until I fall back asleep." She considered how unprofessional it would be, but quickly threw that out the window, they had been having quite a few unprofessional moments, and hell right now he needed a friend, not just an assistant.

"I promise Pepper, I won't try anything" He looked away "I just don't want to be alone right now."

She smiled softly at him as she went to the other side of the bed and untangled the covers at the bottom.

"Really?" He asked in shock.

"Yes Tony, I'll stay….now lets go to sleep."

She usually needed it to be pitch black to fall asleep, but she found his glow to be a soothing nightlight. A few times during the night he would stir, and she would rest her hand on his shoulder causing him to calm down in a few moments. She woke with Tony's arm protectively over her side. Carefully moving it so she wouldn't wake him she got up and went to get some work done.

"Jarvis, keep the shades drawn, and let me know when he wakes up."

"Yes Ms. Potts."

**A/N: So obviously this is set during the first film, and I'm trying to make what happens between them believable, so I am probably going to make some changes. Don't hate me for mixing things up a bit, just consider it a slight AU if you may. Anyway, thanks to my wonderful reviewers, I keep it going all because of you! I made a companion video to this fic, a link is on my profile page, go check it out. Thanks for reading, let me know how you feel and what not.**

**-Shelly**


	5. Tossed

**Theme 29 Food **

**Tossed**

"Tony there is some spaghetti up here." She buzzed him only to get no answer.

"To_ny." Nothing. He would make his way up eventually, probably when the food was good and cold. She made her self a small salad and turned to head back to the table. Unfortunately there was a body in her way, a body that now had ranch dressing dripping down the front of his shirt.

"Oh my god Tony, I didn't know you were there….I'm so sorry."

He just stood there. She was waiting for some sort of reaction, for him to say something, he remained still and did not move out of her way.

"I'm sorry Tony."

She looked down to the floor, she could feel the heat rising in her peppered cheeks. Tony picked off a crouton that was clinging to his shirt, and popped it into his mouth. Pepper looked up, relieved that he at least moved. He had arched an eyebrow, reaching around her to grab a tomato off the counter.

"Tony what…"

He raised it over her head, and with a huge grin plastered onto his face, he proceeded to smush it into her hair. Pepper's mouth fell open, she gasped and closed her eyes as the juice ran down her head.

"Anthony Stark!" She shrieked, attempting to wipe the goo off her face.

"Yes _Virginia?_" He smirked.

"What is the matter with you!"

He leaned in and whispered into her ear "You started it." He smiled and moved around her, brushing the rest of the crutons to the floor.

"Tony?" Pepper called him innocently.

"Hmmm?" Tony turned back only to be met in the face with a fist full of noodles. His eyebrows narrowed as he pulled one from his hair.

"Oh its on!" Grabbing the of ranch he full on squirted it down the front of her shirt. It's a good thing Pepper was already in her PJ's, or she would have come unglued, instead the corners of her mouth twitched up into an evil grin.

"Now now Tony, lets be adults about this." She went to the fridge pulled out a bottle of maple syrup, and squeezed it down his back. "A little something for your sweet tooth Mr. Stark."

Their playful banter turned into an all out food frenzy, continuing on with Tony chasing her around the house with a carton of eggs. She grabbed a two liter of soda on one of her runs through the kitchen, shaking it up and successfully soaking him with her carbonated weapon.

Shredded cheese was flying through the air, a mixture of white and yellow confetti as they both emptied their bags.

They went on and on, squirting condiments, using luncheon meat as frisbee, anything that would make the other person gross and sticky was used. Pepper went to grab the spray nozzle from the sink, but slipped in a puddle of orange juice and started to fall back.

"Pepper!" Tony caught her before she fell. "Are you ok?" She grinned, pulling the nozzle from behind her back and sprayed him dead in the face.

Ketchup and mustard were splattered all over the floor, bologna and slices of provolone cheese stuck to the walls, various liquids soaked into the rugs.

"What the hell happened here!" The cleaning service Pepper had called was standing in the middle of the kitchen, a look of pure horror on her face.

"It was the damndest thing, never saw anything like it." Tony told her, a fake look of shock on his face. Pepper bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "A couple of bears broke in and ravaged all of my food!" Pepper was about to loose it.

"Well Mr. Stark, I'll have to call in more girls…..this is going to take a while."

"Whatever you need to do, I'll make sure you get a nice bonus as well. Ms. Potts and I will be downstairs if you need anything else."

The poor woman was still in shock. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Bears Tony? Really?" Pepper couldn't help it, and burst out laughing, almost falling over as they entered the workshop.

**Enough of this sensitive nonsense, they needed to have some out right dirty fun! So no more tears XxThe Penny TreasurexX, and sorry RomanceDoneWrite, but I just had to mess up his perfect head of hair :P**

**Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading I'd like to know what you think!**

**-Shelly**


	6. Hot Pepper

**A/N: I know this may be a bit OOC but angry Pepper was a lot of fun to write :P **

**41 Fire**

**Hot Pepper**

"Who does he think he is…who does he think I am!"

Pepper was beyond the point of being pissed. Tony surprisingly had shown up to the firefighters benefit, looking fabulous, as always. Pepper didn't bother telling him she was going, she figured he didn't want to be there anyway, yet there he was telling her how great she looked in that absolutely ridiculous dress with no back. He practically dragged her onto the dance floor, even if she did say no.

"An asshole, that's what he is! Just leaving me out here like that!"

She was nervous as they danced, he kept looking at her in a way that made her knees weak, those big beautiful puppy dog eyes. Tony even managed to behave himself, keeping his hand rested on her hip rather than on her naked back.

"Nothing but an egotistical asshole!"

They had ended up on the roof, he continued to look at her in the same way. Damn those eyes, she could get lost in them forever if she wasn't careful.

She started babbling, Pepper had a tendency to babble when she was nervous, and before she knew what she was doing she was leaning into him. She couldn't help herself, she knew what she felt inside she was also foolish for thinking he may feel the same. Her mind screamed at her to stop, and she did, only seconds before their lips touched. She awkwardly asked him to get her a drink, with the intentions of growing some nerve and finishing what she started.

He never came back.

"How could he just abandon me like that…oh yea…because he's an asshole!"

Pepper was now searching for Happy, stomping through _Disney Hall_ avoiding any type of conversation.

"Ms. Potts? Agent Coulson, I spoke with you the other day. I'm with the _Strategic Homeland_…"

"Not now Agent Coulson!" She said as she brushed past him "and find something better to call yourselves!"

She found Happy flirting it up with some girl at the bar. Tony probably had done the same thing and brought her home already. Pepper grabbed the lapel of his jacket and dragged him towards the door.

"We're leaving Happy."

"Of course Pepper."

She slammed the car door after climbing into the back seat.

"My apartment please Happy." There was a fat chance in hell that she was going back to the mansion tonight, only to be greeted by some floozy in the morning.

Pepper did what work she could from home and didn't end up going back to the mansion until the next afternoon. While she was there she hadn't seen Tony, not once, she thought he must have been avoiding her. Unfortunately she did have some things she needed him to take care of, so she reluctantly made her way down into the workshop.

She expected to see him pushed up underneath one of his cars, not in a suit of armor being held up, poked, and prodded by robotic arms.

"What's going on here?" The bots stopped working and he forced his head around to look at her.

"Lets face it, this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing."

She refused to think about that now.

"Are those bullet holes?"

He looked away. "Ummm….I…I don't know."

"They sure as hell look like it."

"Maybe….they could be." He mumbled.

They remained silent as the bots pulled and pried the armor from his body. Stepping from the platform he began to pull down the neoprene suit. Pepper's breath hitched as she saw the bruises forming on his beaten body.

"What happened Tony?"

"Hmmm…..let's see, the father figure in my life has betrayed me, and somebody is supplying the Ten Rings with my weapons."

"And the bullet holes." She had crossed her arms over her chest.

"I went and destroyed them….turns out they didn't like that to much." Tony winced as he attempted to run a hand through his grimy hair. Pepper sighed.

"Come here." She wasn't exactly mad at him anymore, how could she be, he didn't leave her alone to be with someone else, he was off in another country saving a village. She felt guilty. Guilty and selfish. She sat him down on the couch and began to clean the dried blood from his scalp.

"Easy Pep!" He yelped when she pressed the alcohol pad to his head.

"Sorry." She whispered frowning slightly.

"Are you alright?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

She was certainly better than he was, all bruised and beaten.

"Mmmhmm." She continued to patch him up, and handed him a few ice packs.

On impulse she leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I'm glad you're ok Tony." She left him sitting there on the couch with his mouth hanging open.

"Get back here Potts! I want a real kiss now!"

She chuckled as she climbed the stairs.

"Goodnight Tony."

"Pepper_!" He whined. "Please?"

She resumed her place in the guest bedroom that night. The fire inside of her was now just a warm place in her heart for a certain egotistical superhero.

**Ooooo can you feel it, can you feel that anger hehehe. Come on now, you know Pepper was probably pissed but being the cool collected person she is, she wouldn't let it show. Anyway….I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know! **

**MUCH LOVE!**

**-Shelly**


	7. Heartbeat

47 Still

**A/N sorry it's been a little while, I think I'm going to finish off the first movie, then just go out on my own. I loved the second movie and all, but I want to put my own spin on things, step over boundaries, break the rules. Anyway….don't know how happy I am with this, but I would appreciate it if you let me know how you feel anyway. **

**Heartbeat**

Tony inhaled sharply as Obadiah yanked out his chest piece with a menacing grin.

"Do you really think that just because you have an idea it belongs to you?" He whispered looming over Tony's paralyzed body, close enough for Tony to smell the hatred radiating from his body.

_That's exactly what I think you traitor!_ Tony thought, unable to form the words himself. The only thing that Tony could do was move his eyes and breathe, and he was, heavily.

_I trusted you! Dad trusted you! I considered you family you sick son of a bitch!_

"Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. Now what kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?"

He choked on his own breath when Obadiah pulled the reactor wires from the base plate.

_Selfish? You think I'm selfish! Here you are committing murder to get your dirty hands on my technology and I'm selfish!_

Obadiah was rambling about how the reactor was Tony's masterpiece, his legacy, something about what would be possible if it ended up in the right hands, he was trying not to pay attention. That changed when he mentioned something about a prototype.

_Well that would explain a lot_.

"To bad you had involve Pepper in this, I would have preferred that she lived." Obadiah taunted him as he left him there, still on the couch.

_Pepper! NO, not Pepper! There is no way, she just called. _Tony's mind felt as if it was going to explode. _She's ok, she has to be ok. I couldn't live with myself if something were to happen to her, and it's all my fault, I am selfish, sending her to do something that could put her in danger. _

His heart began to break, and all he could do was sit there and stare into space until he regained control of his body. Then what? Obadiah just ripped the life from his chest. He could do nothing, just sit there and die, leaving his body there to rot until somebody got curious and came looking for him.

He wanted to scream out at the world, to cry until there was nothing left. But he couldn't, he remained still and broken. He felt that he had let everyone down, he had let Pepper down, there was nothing left for him now, everything he had worked so hard on to protect the people was now going to be turned against them.

Tony's thoughts kept returning to Pepper.

_I'm so sorry Pep, I should have gone myself, I should have known better then to talk you into going. I can't loose you, not now, not when you're all I have left. I do have heart, and it belongs to you. Why am I talking to you in my head anyway, you can't hear me, and I'll probably never…._

Tony could practically feel the shrapnel digging into his heart.

…_.wait a minute….Pepper, I think you just saved both of our lives."_ The image of Peppers nostalgic gift to him appeared in his head, and he felt one corner of his mouth twitch up. There was a tingling spreading throughout his arms and his fingers slowly began to move. All he could do was sit and wait, but it wouldn't be for much longer.

There was no way in hell he would make id down the stairs, and he wasn't about to try. He threw his half limp body into the elevator, wishing that it would descend faster, his time was running out. He made his way across the cool workshop floor, dragging himself with anything and everything he could find. He attempted to reach up and grab his "spare heart" from its little glass box. He missed and slipped, sliding back onto the cold floor in defeat. That was all he had left, his last hope, the needle in his proverbial haystack, and now it was gone.

The mechanical whirring above his head caught his attention. He rolled his eyes up. Figures, it would have to be Dummy that would come to his rescue. The loyal robot had Tony's salvation grasped in his claw. Maybe he was worth keeping around after all.

"Good boy." Tony groaned before smashing the box to the ground.

"Hold on Pepper, I'm not going to lose you."

**I know, I know its short, I'll try to get another one up ASAP. Reviews make my heart mushy.**

**Much love!**

**-Shelly**


	8. Flicker

**50 Light**

**Thanks so much for the reviews you guys! I love you all!**

**Flicker**

"Pepper_!" Tony was hanging from the frame of the glass ceiling above her as Obadiah was firing aimlessly at him.

"Time to push the button!"

"You told me not to!" She couldn't bring herself to do it, not yet, she needed to know he would be safe.

"Just do it!"

"You'll die!" She had just gotten him back, she sure as shit wasn't going to kill him.

"PUSH IT!" Tony was now dangling from the frame by one arm.

Pepper grimaced as she slammed her palm down on the red button.

She rushed out of the building in search of Agent Coulson and his men.

"Where's Stane?" Coulson questioned as she approached.

"Dead. I hope."

"And Stark?"

"I don't know, hopefully he landed back on the roof." She longingly gazed up at the rubble on the roof above her.

"We're going to go up and look for him." Coulson said resting his hand on Peppers shoulder.

"I'm coming with you."

"I can't let you do that Ms. Potts."

"I wasn't asking." Pepper retorted, following him into the building.

"Ms. Potts, I think it's much too dangerous for…."

"_I think_ that I can handle it." She interrupted, marching past him, armed with a flashlight she began to climb the never ending stairwell.

The roof was dark, pitch black, with the exception of the flashlight beams cutting through the air. Pepper thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye she peered over the ledge. Pepper's heart jumped when she saw the blue flickering light on the level below her.

"TONY!" She ran to the ladder that led down below and stepped on the first rung.

"Pepper wait!" She saw Rhodey coming towards her running past Coulson's men.

"It's about time you got here."

"Yea well traffic was a bitch." He rolled his eyes. "Pepper come back up here."

"No Rhodey, I'm going down there, don't you dare tell me otherwise."

"I'm not trying to stop you Pepper, I just think I should go first, make sure it's safe. Alright?" Rhodey's eyes were soft and full of concern. He understood her need to see Tony for herself, he also knew there was no stopping a determined Pepper Potts.

"Fine." She stepped back onto the roof and let him and a few of Coulson's men go down first.

It was agony waiting for Rhodey to give her the all clear, she was getting impatient.

"Rhodey?"

"Come on down Pepper!"

Rhodey helped her off the last rung of the ladder as Coulson's men continued scanning the rooftop.

"He's on the grating…..looks pretty beat up Pepper."

"Thanks Rhodey."

"Careful Pepper" Rhodey cautioned her, as she crawled onto the metal grating and over to Tony's unconscious form. The light was still flickering in his chest with a small bit of hope.

"Oh Tony!" She whispered, taking his un-armored hand.

"I need you to wake up Tony."

Rhodey held up a hand to stop Coulson and his remaining men when they approached.

"Give her a few minutes."

"We need to get him out of here." Coulson said, trying to push his way past him.

"You can wait a minute." Rhodey glanced back at Pepper who was slowly falling apart. "She needs to be with him right now, besides, if anyone can get him to wake up you can bet it will be Pepper."

"Two minutes Colonel Rhodes." Rhodey nodded once in agreement.

Tears slowly crept down Peppers freckled cheeks.

"Tony please wake up, I need you." She brushed the hair from his face. "I can't loose you again Tony, I just can't." She cried, collapsing on top of his armor plated chest and letting herself go, her body shaking uncontrollably. The light beneath her began to glow brighter, she stopped breathing, staring at the reactor with unbelievable amazement. She felt a hand on her lower back.

"Pepper?" Tony's voice was quiet and rough. Pepper's breath hitched again.

"Tony!" She sat up looking at him through teary eyes.

Tony groaned, pulling himself up in a sitting position. He smiled at her softly when she squeezed his hand.

"You're eyes are more than red, this time I know you….." He didn't have time to finish. Pepper launched her self around him, crashing her lips into his. Tony's eyes widened for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, deepening their kiss. Pepper's fingers tightened in his hair when he gently tugged on her bottom lip. Pepper pulled away, his dark eyes were full of something she had never seen before, leaving her breathless and flushed.

"Wow…." Tony whispered breathing heavily.

"Tony I….."

"Mr. Stark we need to get you out of here." Coulson cut her off.

Tony nodded, but didn't take his eyes off of Pepper's.

"Are you ok Tony?" She asked her once sad grey eyes now a sparkling blue.

"I am now." Tony breathed before puling her in for another kiss, and hopefully not their last.

**Wouldn't it have been nice if it had happened that way! I'm thinking of doing a Sherlock Holmes story. Holmes stuck in the future, I know it's been done but it has been eating at my brain. ANYWAY….. You know what to do. Now that you've read it, it would be nice if you reviewed it!**

**MUCH LOVE!**

**-Shelly**


	9. Good night Ms Potts

62 Identity

**Good night Ms. Potts**

The press conference that took place after the Obadiah incident hadn't exactly gone as planned. Agent Coulson had told Tony to stick to the cue cards, Pepper should have seen what was coming.

"I am Ironman."

"Oh dear god!" Was the thought that initially ran through her head. "He just made my life a living hell." Pepper pinched the bridge of her nose and waited for Tony to come down from the podium. He had a huge grin plastered on his face as he strode up to her.

"Let's go Potts!" Pepper fell in place behind him, not saying a word, even as she climbed into the back of the car beside him. Tony leaned against her, resting his head on her shoulder. She still said nothing, and kept her eyes on the back of Happy's head.

"You hungry Pepper?"

"….."

"Pepper?"

Pepper shifted in the seat forcing him to remove his from her body. Her eyes a dull shade of gray and her lips tight.

"Pepper look, I'm sorry, but come on! I couldn't resist, you of all people should have expected that." He pleaded, searching her eyes for some kind of emotion.

She sighed and turned her head toward the window.

"Pep talk to me." He placed a hand on her knee. "Please say something….anything."

Turning her head to face him she relaxed her face into a calm state, causing him to smile.

"You Tony Stark….are an idiot."

His smile vanished. "What!"

"You do realize what you've just done don't you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You single handedly just increased my work load well over ten times." She went back to looking out the window.

"What if I help you?"

"You won't" She didn't bother looking at him, she knew she would give in if she did. "You would just delete anything that looked professional from your inbox."

"Maybe it won't be so bad." Tony said quietly, scooting closer to her on the seat.

Pepper moved closer into the door, any closer and she would end up on the highway.

"Have you ever seen a Blackberry die from email overload?"

"I don't think that could happen Pepper." He chuckled.

She promptly reached into her pocket and dropped her lifeless phone onto his lap. Neither of them said a word the rest of the way back to the mansion.

Pepper rushed straight from the car into the house.

"Pepper wait a second!" Tony tried to keep up with her, but even in her heels she managed to beat him in, locking herself in the guest room.

"Pepper please unlock the door."

"Go away Tony, I'm going to take a nap then start going through my impossibly full inbox."

"Jarvis open….."

"You have him open that door Tony and I will quit! Understand?"

"You wouldn't leave me Pep."

He smiled as the door opened just enough for her to stick her head out.

"Wanna bet?" She promptly slammed the door shut and locked the door with a very loud click.

Pepper managed to sleep for a full 4 hours. She appreciated the rest, but knew there was work to be done. She opened her laptop and winced as she clicked on her inbox.

_**478 Unread Messages**_

"That's strange, there were a least 1500 when my blackberry died." She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

_**475 Unread Messages**_

"Jarvis?"

"Yes Ms. Potts."

"Where is Mr. Stark currently located?"

"In his workshop Ms. Potts."

"And what is he doing?"

"He appears to be answering you email."

Pepper couldn't stop the smile that came to her face.

An hour later she found him hunched over his desk in the workshop sleeping with his head in his arms.

_**256 Unread Messages**_

She rubbed his back softly.

"Tony?"

He stirred beneath her touch. "Hmmm?…Oh hey Pepper." He sat up and stretched his arms above his head. "I told you I'd help."

"Who are you and what have you done with the old Tony Stark?" She grinned.

"He decided if he wanted to keep you around he better do some growing up." He said, taking her hands into his. "Why did you do it Pepper?" He asked rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs.

"Do what?" She whispered, already knowing what he was getting at.

"On the roof…..why did you …..kiss me?" He was now searching her eyes for an answer.

"I…I don't know Tony." She looked away from him, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink. "I better go, there are some things I need to take care of at my apartment." This was a total lie, but she couldn't stay, she would just end up getting hurt.

"Will you be back?" He whispered.

She heard the pain in his voice and made it a point to avoid looking at him.

"Yes…..in the morning." She said quietly.

"Ok then…Good night Ms. Potts."

"Good night Mr. Stark." Pepper didn't look back as she exited the work shop. She didn't see the single tear that had lined Tony's face as he watched her go and she most certainly didn't hear the last thing he said to her.

"I love you Pepper."

**A/N Would you believe me if I said I went into this with the intention of her not being mad at him. I honestly don't know what happened. I must have some deep down depression thing going on. So even if it made you a little sad, I would greatly appreciate it if you showed me some love!**

**MUCH LOVE!**

**-Shelly**


	10. What matters

**#17 Rough**

**What matters**

Pepper arrived at the mansion at 7:30 the next morning. Tony was sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Morning Pepper." He grumbled as she walked past him.

"Good morning Tony." She had to look twice at Tony's rigid body on the couch, staring into nothingness.

"Is everything alright Tony?" She called making her way to the kitchen. "I'm going to make you some coffee." _Hopefully that will wake him up a little_. She thought to herself.

"No Pepper, everything is not alright." He said flatly as she placed the mug on the table in front of him. She waited for him to continue. He didn't.

"Well, if you're not going to elaborate…..I have work to do." She turned to leave.

"Did you mean it?"

Pepper stopped dead in her tracks.

"Mean what Tony." She knew exactly where he was going with this and was not ready to discuss it with him, not yet anyway.

"You know very well what Pepper."

"I don't have time for this Tony." Attempting to leave again. Tony grabbed her wrist, turning her back to face him.

"I need to know Pepper, did you or not?" She had never seen such fierceness in his eyes.

"At the moment I did yes." She sighed.

"And now?" His voice was quiet and rough, his breath smelling of scotch.

"It doesn't matter Tony."

They stood there in silence, staring each other down, both of them clearly upset but neither of them about to cave in.

"I'm going back to bed." Tony grumbled breaking their silence and pushing past her.

"Tony! You have a meeting at 10:30 and I really need….."

"CANCEL IT!" He shouted slamming the door shut.

Twenty minutes had barley passed when Pepper heard him stomping down the staircase.

"Yes Mr. Stark?" She set her laptop aside as he stopped directly in front of her.

"Maybe it doesn't matter to you Pepper, but it means a hell of a lot to me!" He spat out at her.

"Well it shouldn't." She deadpanned.

"And why not." He lowered his body down over hers, placing his arms on either side of her, pinning her onto the couch.

"BECAUSE TONY, IT WONT WORK!" She snapped.

"WHAT IF I WANT IT TO WORK?" He matched her tone.

"You think that now, but what happens when someone else who catches your eye comes walking along? Hmm? Then what Tony? I go back to tossing out your one night stands? I go back…"

Tony forcefully shut her up pressing his lips to hers. Her body went rigid, but he didn't stop. Pepper didn't hold out for long, she couldn't, she had wanted this as much as he did. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting one of her hands get lost in his dark messy curls. They fit together perfectly, and even if it had started out rough and needy, they had no problem melting into each other.

She opened her mouth to him, allowing him to deepen their kiss. Pepper moaned softly when he pressed his body closer to hers, pushing her further into the couch. Both were left breathless and panting.

"Tony….."She breathed.

"Oh god Pepper, you have no idea how long I've wanted this, how long I have waited for this."

"Tony…I don't know if I can. I don't know if we should."

"Why?" He leaned in trailing kisses down her neck line. "Give me a reason Pep."

"Its just…..I'm scared Tony."

"I'm scared to Pepper. I know I have a lousy track record and I can't change that." He pulled back and cupped her face. "But I promise to do my best, I'll be good to you. I'm far from perfect but I'm really trying to better myself for you. Please Pepper, I want this. So much." HE leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Alright." She whispered against him.

"What? Really!" He pulled back to see the smile on her face.

"Yes Tony really…and for the record I mean it now as much as I did then.

"Me too Pepper." He whispered before collapsing on top of her.

**Thanks so much for reading! Now its time to show me the love!**

**-Shelly**

**By the way, my Holmes fic is up and quickly building. Go check it out!**


	11. Magic

95 Speed

Magic

**Tony wanted nothing more than to grab Pepper and cover her in kissses every time she appeared in his sight.**

**Pepper on the other hand was having none of this.**

"**Tony_" She warned as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and started nuzzling her neck.**

"**Hmmm?"**

"**Please stop." She attempted to move away from him only causing him to hold her tighter. "Tony I have work to do."**

"**So take a break." He mumbled against her skin. Pepper spun around in his arms and kissed him nice and slow.**

"**Happy now Mr. Stark?"**

"**Hardly Ms. Potts." He had that dark hungry look in his eyes, a look she had been seeing far too much of lately. Tony moved in to kiss her again. Pepper put her hand up to stop him.**

"**Tony…If you want this to work you have to take it down a notch."**

**His hands slowly made their down to her waist.**

"**That's not the impression I got last night." Referring to their heavy make out session on the couch.**

"**Last night was…." **

"**Incredible." Tony finished for her grinning widely.**

"**Yes." Pepper laughed "but I don't want to rush things Tony, we need to take our time with this."**

**He pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss to her temple.**

"**Ok Pepper." He whispered.**

"**Really Tony? Just like that?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing, Tony Stark didn't slow down for anyone. She pulled back expecting him to have that famous Stark smile plastered on his face.**

**It wasn't there, he was being completely serious.**

"**Just like that." He said quietly. He squeezed her hands lightly before heading toward the stairs that led to the workshop.**

"**Come on Tony, you jump into everything, why are you giving in so easily?" She raised her eyebrows as he turned back to look at her. He shrugged his shoulders.**

"**Your worth it Pep. Just knowing that you're willing to give us a shot is enough to make me wait a lifetime." He smiled softly.**

"**You won't have to wait that long Tony." She chuckled.**

"**Good, because I can't wait to get you upstairs and into my bed." He smirked bounding down the stairs. Leave it to Tony to ruin a perfectly sweet moment.**

"**TONY!" **

"**We'd make magic Pepper!" He called no longer in sight.**

"**Oh please." Rolling her eyes she couldn't help but smile to her self. "It'd be a hell of a lot better than magic."**

"**What was that Pep?" He laughed. Fabulous, he should have known he would have lingered at the bottom of the stairwell.**

"**Nothing!" She shouted.**

"**It will defiantly be magic worth waiting for." Tony quietly laughed to himself before closing the workshop door behind him.**

**A/N Short and sweet yes? I wanted to give you guys a little treat for today! **

**LOTS OF LOVE**

**-Shelly**


	12. Small Spaces

**#69 Electric**

**Small spaces**

"What do you say Pepper, take out and a movie? The two of us curled up on the couch, preferably with you in nothing but one of my shirts?" He waggled his eyebrows at her from the doorway of her office.  
"Tony stop." She giggled "I thought we were going to keep this quiet." She whispered motioning for him to come in and shut the door.  
He took a seat in the chair on the other side of the desk looking over her delicate features as she worked, taking in every little detail. The perfectly place freckles that bunched up on her cheeks, those amazing oceanic crystal blue eyes, how she subconsciously chewed on her bottom lip, how the top button on her shirt had come undone. He swallowed the water pooling in his mouth out of his desire for her. She stood from her chair and gathered her things.  
"You ready to go?" She asked, causing his head to snap back to reality. He nodded fast trying his best to pull off an innocent smile.  
"You okay Tony, I said I wanted to keep our relationship quiet, not you." She grinned placing a hand on his shoulder. That smooth milky white hand that he loved to feel tangled in his dark hair. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to force the images out of his head, he shouldn't be doing this now, yet all he could picture was that hand trailing down his chest.  
He cleared his throat.  
"Uhhh….Yea, everything's fine Pep. Let's go okay?"  
It was late not many people in the halls of SI leaving them in an elevator all to themselves for the long ride to the bottom. Tony's attention was now focused on her legs. Those long beautiful legs and how perfectly they would fit around his waist. He could feel the need for her building, pushing his urges down once more he stared and watched the floor numbers move excruciatingly slow.  
Then they didn't move at all, the hum of the elevator motors slowed and came to a stop.  
Stuck.  
He was now stuck, all hot and bothered, in an elevator with Pepper Potts. He could have probably fixed it himself, but when was the next chance this opportunity was going to present its self.  
"Tony what the hell was that? Are we stuck? Are we actually stuck in the elevator?" Her cheeks flushed when she was annoyed, fueling his fire.  
"It would appear so." He casually took off his blazer and let it fall to the floor.  
"Can't you fix it or something?"  
"No tools Pep. I'm sure it won't be for long." He replied loosening his tie.

The heat was building in the small space, Pepper removed her own jacket and hung it over the hand rail.  
"So much for that movie." She leaned her head back against the wall and breathed deeply, Tony relishing at the sight of her chest moving so slightly. He was done waiting, no more standing across from her admiring from afar. It was time to move. In two strides he was in front of her, his hands automatically resting on her hips.  
"Screw the movie." He brought his lips down on hers moving a hand to her back pulling her closer to him. Her breath hitched as she melted into his kiss grabbing at the back of his hair just like he knew she would.  
"Tony wait." She breathed against his lips.  
"Nuh uh." He captured her lips once more, nipping her bottom lip allowing him to slip his slick tongue over hers. He pressed her up against the rail his hand slipping under her shirt trailing up her silky abdomen. She whimpered as his thumb grazed over her breast causing him to push into her more.  
"Tony I…we…we can't do this here." Her breath was shallow. His other hand trailed down to the bottom of her skirt letting his fingers trail her skin as he moved them up slowly.  
"Why Pepper?" His voice was dark and husky. He pressed himself against her a little more, she made that amazing whimpering noise again, fingers tightening in his hair. "I think you want to as much as I do." She crashed her lips to his pulling off his tie and quickly undoing the buttons of his shirt running her hands up and down his chest before moving them back into his hair. His hand traveled farther up her skirt pushing her up on the rail, allowing her legs to go around him, and they did fit perfectly. He one handedly undid the buttons of her shirt, holding her up with the other, slowly kissing his way down her neck.  
"I can stop if you want me to Pepper, honest I will." He said to her between kisses.  
"Tony…" she shuddered "I…I…"  
There was a sudden jolt as the elevator began to move.  
"Oh good god! Tony off, we're moving, move!" She pushed him back and did her best to straighten herself out. Taken aback and flustered he plucked his tie up off the floor and swung his blazer over his shoulder.  
"I'm sorry Tony, you were…that was…"  
"Let me guess, unprofessional?" He smirked wiggling his eyebrows.  
"Very, but good, very good." She let her head fall back as the elevator came to the final floor. She let out a puff of air and smiled over her shoulder at him.  
"You could have pushed the emergency stop button you know." His mouth fell open as he watched her walk out in front of him.  
"Perhaps another time Pep." He said to himself under his breath. "Perhaps another time.

**It's longer than the other chapters on here, but since I've been slacking off I figured it was the least I could do. Read, review, enjoy, make me happy :D**  
**-Shelly**


	13. Come Home

**#73 promise**

****

**Come Home**

He had been gone for days; too many days for him to come home in one piece. Pepper managed to get through the day as best as she could. Holding her head high, she took charge during meetings, holding back the flood of emotions bottled up inside of her. She wouldn't let her guard down, not here, she had to remain strong.

Night time was another story. Pepper would drive back to the mansion, her eyes full to the brim with tears, hoping each time that he would come home that night. It was the same routine each night that passed. Shower, attempt to eat something, then head straight down into the workshop, eventually falling asleep on the well worn leather couch, comforted by the scent that lingered in the cushions there. She jerked awake with every new sound she heard; hoping that it was Tony finally coming back to her, her heart broke a little bit more when she realized it was usually just the bots puttering around the workshop. Tony had been gone for days before, but he had always managed to call, to let her know that everything was ok, that he would be home soon. Now it had been four days, four painstakingly long days with no contact what so ever. Something had to have gone wrong, she just knew it.

Pepper fell asleep to the sound of her own soft sobs, her tears sinking into the plush pillow, mixing her scent with his own. A crash rang throughout her ears, causing her body to flinch, her eyes frantically looking towards the pad. Tony was being supported by robotic as they pulled and pried at his battered armor.

Pepper rushed over and released the helmet from his head; blood was steadily seeping from a gash above his right eye.

"Oh my god Tony!" She pushed the hair back from his eyes to getter a better look at his wound.

"Pepper?" Tony's voice was quiet and raspy, his breathing ragged.

The bots managed to set him free from his titanium alloy prison, leaving him on wobbly legs and leaning heavily on Pepper.

Pep…Pepper…I couldn't…I tried…Pepper…" Tony was gasping between shallow breaths.

"Shh, it's all right Tony, don't try to talk now," Pepper gingerly led him over to the couch and began to peel away the neoprene suit from his body. A mixture of sweat and blood made it stick slightly to his skin, Tony hissed in pain each time she would reach a sticky spot of his suit, trying her best to slowly pull it down over him. Pepper grimaced as she slid the liner down over his mid section. His side had already turned to shades of black and purple, and he had most likely broken a few ribs. Once she managed to get the suit completely off him. Scrapes, cuts and bruises littered his beaten body, and the wound above his eye was still oozing blood. Pepper did her best to sponge him off-he could take a proper shower later-and then she began to patch up his many injuries. Tony would wince each time she touched him, and it tore her up inside to see him in so much pain. She guided him down in to the couch cushions, placing a blanket over his wrecked figure. Tony reached out and gripped Pepper's hand lightly, his lips moved slightly but no words came out.

"Shh," Pepper placed a finger over his lips. "Sleep Tony, I'll be here when you wake up." Holding onto his hand Pepper slid down onto the cool workshop floor and let her head fall back against the couch.

Tony groaned as he tenderly touched the bruising over his ribs. It had been a rough couple of days; Fury had him halfway around the world, taking care of a group of New Age terrorists. Tony's communications got knocked out by the end of the first day, along with a decent amount of damage done to the Suit. By day four he had everything taken care of. He was very tired, very beaten and in a hurry to rush home to Pepper. Tony's eyes wandered and noticed the slender figure slumped down on the floor, her small hand clutching his; he squeezed it gently, causing her to stir.

"Tony?" Pepper turned to face him; dark circles lined her worry-ridden blue eyes.

"Hey," He whispered, trying his best to give her a heartfelt smile, but it even hurt to do that. "You shouldn't be on the floor Pepper; you're going to get sick."

"I didn't want to leave you," She released his hand and placed her hand on his chest. "I'm going to get you some painkillers, and then we need to get you up into bed."

Tony nodded, watching her walk away. "She doesn't deserve this," He thought "She deserves to be happy, not spending her nights worrying if I'll make it home alive."

Pepper returned with his pills and helped him sit up to drink them down with a glass of water. Tony rested on her for support as they made their way up to his bedroom and he gladly welcomed the softness of the mattress against his aching body. Pepper climbed up beside him, not touching him to avoid aggravating his injuries.

"I'm sorry Pepper, I'm so sorry," His hand searched for hers atop the down comforter. "My communications got knocked out; I couldn't get in touch with anyone."

"It's all right Tony, I'm just happy you made it home."

"It's not all right Pepper; you shouldn't have to go through that, I shouldn't have to put you through that." Tony's voice cracked as he swallowed the lump building in his throat.

"Tony…" Pepper sat up and gently moved closer to him, "I'm always going to worry about you. This is who you are, I may not like what it does to you, but you are a good man, and you are doing amazing things." She brushed the hair from his forehead, "Don't blame yourself Tony, just promise that you'll come home to me." Pepper smiled weakly as Tony brushed a tear from her freckled cheek.

"I'll always come home to you Pepper, You're the reason I hold on, and I'd be nothing without you."

"And I'll always be waiting," Pepper bent down and gently kissed the lips she had missed so much during the last four days. Tony pulled her down and held her to his chest.

"Tony be careful, your ribs." Pepper tried to pull away, his grip around her only tightened.

"I'll be fine." Pepper relaxed in his arms and he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Thank you Pepper, for everything."

"You're welcome Tony."

Tony never wanted to let her go, he wanted to just lie there forever and keep her in his arms. He meant every word, as long as Pepper Potts was in his life nothing would stop him from coming home to her.

Nothing.

**A/N big thank you to CSIClue who is acting as my beta, I love you! I gave you two nice and fluffy chapters, it was time for some good old pain and comfort, I know, how mean of me, but come on I did give you a sweet ending! As always let me know what you think, it makes me happy and want to write more!**

**Much Love**

**-Shelly  
**


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